Sever Us Not
by Callisti
Summary: Years after the war, Hermione is asked to return to Hogwarts, and a certain brooding Slytherin becomes very glad. Romance and trouble, as always, follow in their wake. Fairies & Elves & Babies, oh my! HG/SS, SB/OC. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hi! So, you know the drill: this doesn't belong to me (unless it's not something you recognize, like the plot or a character or a place). This will be my only disclosure of this kind. I don't like reading A/N's usually, so you won't see many from me._

_Like every other writer since the beginning of writing, I like reviews. Please keep your criticism constructive and professional, but honest! This is my first story, so I expect more criticism that accolades, but I will respond as often as I can._

_SYNOPSIS: Years after the war, Hermione is asked to return to Hogwarts by Minerva, and a certain brooding Slytherin becomes very glad. Romance and trouble, as always, follow in their wake. Rated MA for future chapters - you have been warned! EDITED and REPOSTED_

_Happy reading!_

**When the battle ended, everyone else assumed he was dead, and had been ashamedly relieved, though he had been exonerated.**_**She **_**was the one who had searched for him. Shock at not finding his body in the Shrieking Shack leading her to wander, not leaving the masses of unidentified bodies on the battlefield until she had searched every last face for the teacher-turned-hero.**

With Dumbledore gone, and Minerva in mourning for her life-long friend - not to mention all the other deaths - Hermione knew they needed that cold, hard exterior, tempered by years of loss and doing the necessary, to perform the onerous tasks that now lay ahead. They needed him in charge of the aftermath; _he_, the one who could handle anything thrown at him, the one with a mind like a scythe, the grace of a tiger, the resolve of a mountain river…

He had returned from reuniting Draco Malfoy with his mother (and recovering from his injuries) to find _her_ on the battlefield in a shallow defile, clutching at and sobbing over the body of an unrecognizable man. She had part of a mask clutched in her fists as though it were the last shred of her sanity. His concern rose as she slumped, exhausted from days of sleepless searching for… someone.

"_Miss_ Granger, if you insist upon wearing yourself out to this extent, you will cause the already horrific death toll to climb."

She froze. She had heard that midnight voice in her mind so many times in the last few days that she scarcely believed it was real. His hand on her shoulder caused her to turn to him, her face a splotched mess due to sweat and mud, blood and tears. Her heart leapt into her eyes, unbidden, and she searched his face in wonder and relief.

His expression turned to stone as he underwent a scrutiny that made his inner depths quake with an unfamiliar emotion. To cover his weakness, he snapped, "You shall go to the infirmary. NOW." and grabbed her to him, carrying her all the way to Poppy's side.

The next time he saw her, it was his heart that made an unbidden appearance. It had been 3 years since he last saw her, having left her to Poppy's ministrations and walking away from the celebrants and the school until it was time for Minerva to convince him to return to teach a new round of students. He taught and he slept and he experimented; but never did he leave the school.

So it wasn't until the Ministry **demanded** his presence at a celebration in honor of the fallen and the victorious survivors that he saw her again. As she walked into the Ministry ballroom, her arms were held protectively by Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.

Her posture was regal, her neck a sculpture to hold up her cascading locks, all traces of _child_ replaced by _woman_. Her countenance shone with a luminosity that he had seldom seen outside of a flame, and he was unwillingly drawn to her.

The ceremony, praising all who received various acknowledgements, caused him to stand not 10 feet from this vision, and he avoided her glances as though meeting her eyes would burn his very soul.

When the dancing began, his position in the shadows of the large ballroom allowed the perfect vantage point to watch her: laughing easily as she passed from partner to partner, flowing with the music as though she were floating above the marble. Her shining eyes and tinkling laughter were a torture to him and he did his level best, though he failed, to tear his eyes off her silken tresses and glistening skin. When the Weasley brat crushed her to him in a passionate kiss, he fled before he did something… uncouth.

Minerva, who was now Headmistress, beamed in the direction of her former students, though she frowned at the married Weasley's antics. She then watched Severus exit, her curiosity and concern blossoming. His dislike of and brutishly cold manner towards students, faculty - everyone - was a fact that brooked no comment anymore: they simply avoided him when possible. However, she watched him with worry as she glimpsed something naked in his face before he disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

He spent the next 14 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days doing everything in his power to act as though _she_ did not exist. He had heard snatches here and there of her extremely high marks at University - hardly a surprise, he thought, his smirk being noticed but never commented on by the Headmistress, whenever Hermoine's name was mentioned. Minerva had an inkling, and knew her dearly missed friend with the twinkling sapphire eyes would have encouraged her to carry on with the plans that were taking shape in her clever brain.

So, she researched. She pondered. She watched. She waited. She wrote. Finally, she rang a small school in New England, where she spoke briefly with a young woman who was in attendance there.

Fawkes made a trilling ruckus as the Headmistress' office was entered by a lovely young woman, who ran into the arms of her former mentor.

"Minerva! Oh, I've missed you!" gushed Hermione as she returned the fierce hug her former instructor gave her.

"Hermione, my dear, you look exquisite, and, oh, so grown up! Just beautiful! I am frankly amazed you are not constantly defending yourself against a sea of eager attendants," she said, a quirky smile gracing her lips.

"Well, I think they would have taken my head if I attacked other gels' men… I've had no need to 'fend anyone off'," she said with a rueful grin. "I'm so happy to be here! Even with… everything." A sad smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she gazed at the office that would always remind her of Dumbledore. "It almost feels… as if he's still here." She whispered.

"I know... I still miss him so." The Headmistress let her face crumble. All those years she had wasted, with that merry genius so close. She regretted more than anything the fact that she had never done more than let him kiss her hand. He had always been the gentleman, never crowding her need for propriety. Now, she would never have him, and it pulsed like a wound deep in her belly.

"I'm so sorry," the younger woman said chokingly, seeing the reasons behind Minerva's distress clearly. "I can't imagine…" She took the Headmistress into a gentle hug, and sat with her as she let her sob quietly. "You are so brave... I wish I could be like you!"

"Oh, Hermione, I'm afraid you are," she said bitterly, her Highland brogue growing with each word. "You see,… *sigh* there is a man, a man I wish I could call friend, with undeniable intelligence and indefatigueable loyalty. His history is deeply dark, his past littered with pain and horror, and yet this scarred man would be - **is** -"

With a shake of her head, she grasped the younger woman by the shoulders, and stared desperately into her eyes. " - _perfect_ for you." The tears streaming down her cheeks made Hermione's eyes begin to collect water in sympathy.

Suddenly she felt a chill go down her spine. She now suspected why her heart had started to beat like a hummingbird's the minute her old instructor had called her.

She had closed her affairs in America with unseemly haste, and almost frantically prepared to move to the one place she called home in her head now that her parents were gone.

Her cheeks became flushed as her mind brought to light all the things it had been collecting, saving them for her willing attention. She tried to relax, letting her mind present to her the things that she had been too busy, too anxious - _too uncomfortable -_ to process.

She gasped and sat bolt upright, nearly knocking Minerva off the settee, as a series of scent and aural memories swam into her consciousness. Boots striking rough-hewn stone. Rustle of pages bound in leather. Scent of herbs, cut and crushed, frothing in cauldrons over heat. That scent morphed, coming to wrap around a masculine musk that suddenly made her knees weak and her pulse jump. Then, the memory of a voice, velvet smooth and solid as steel: her family name spoken by disturbingly sensual lips made thin with distain.

"Severus Snape…" Her face burned as his whispered name dropped from her lips.

The Headmistress dabbed at her face with a pale hankerchief, and looked into Hermione's flushed face. "My dear," she said with gentle surprise, "I should have known; you already know of whom I speak."

Hermione opened her eyes, and let out a trapped breath. "Yes," she jumped up and began pacing, "But I would never be able to approach him. A former student, half his age, his childhood enemy's best friend; a fuzzy-haired, knock-kneed child that he tortured mercilessly through school… not that he had a realistic choice - huh, I was the only one up to his standards and a _Mudblood_ to boot. His attitude just goaded me to do better in his courses, if only to spite him." She looked to Minerva.

"Well, I don't mind much that I would embarrass myself - and I would! - but to embarrass him, wound him - for heaven's sake, he's had enough! For him to let down his guard enough to even see me that way… well, it would be downright, u-uh-unnatural!" she almost sobbed.

"Of course; you have no interest in approaching an isolated war hero with no family, no friends, and no life outside of his teaching and books." The older woman raised an eyebrow archly.

"Not to mention pursuing him for his scornful, mercurial mien." Hermione returned with a smirk not unlike the man they discussed.

"But he's just… like that. We're more comfortable around books than people, and an _element_ doesn't _do_ anything _to you_ unless _you_ cause it to happen. As for wounded… *sigh* who isn't?" _Though, it would be amazing to actually see him smile_ she mused, her gaze went soft and unfocused as she nibbled her lower lip.

Allowing herself a small smile, the Headmistress stood beside her newest teacher. "Did you listen to yourself just now?" Hermione's look confirmed she was realizing some profound things. "You have something rare in common with that man. And if you wish either of yourselves happiness, I suggest you make the first overture. He is far too cautious after his years of catering to the highest hand to seek out a colleague, former student or not… even one with so many appealing qualities." She said brusquely as she maneuvered Hermione to tea set at a small table.

"…but his rejection will be almost more than I can bear." She responded quietly.

"Why do you assume he will reject you?"

"Because he frightens me. How I feel about him frightens me. And he - oh, he can sense fear like a kraken senses a distressed swimmer!"

She chewed upon her bottom lip as her mind flew over years of sublime torture; his billowing cloak as he strode into the lecture hall, his menacing scowl, his dexterous fingers, his eyes flashing in anger, his reappearance after that vile "man" fell, his sullen fury at the Victory Ball, his refusal to return a single letter, his complete shutting away of himself from anything not directly involved with the school… and she despaired.

"Minerva," her shoulders slumped, "I can't approach him like that. He barely acknowledges my existence, he always seemed furious at me, he's rarely even cordial, let alone - he wouldn't even _look_ at me at the one celebratory ball he attended!"

Hermione found herself face-to-face with an extremely intense face. "**He could not remove his eyes from you** at that ball, Hermione. He fled when Mr. Weasley made that drunken pass at you." The Headmistress straightened. "Miss Granger, if anyone can bring happiness to that man's tortured soul, it is you. And if anyone can give you what you need… Grab your courage, girl! Show him the Gryffindor woman who stood up to insurmountable odds to restore the world!" Her face softened as she added, "I have faith in you."

Their smiles brightened the room, and they spent the last day before classes in companionable conversation and planning.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ooomph!" She gasped as she swirled about at the doorway to her new quarters, prevented from falling by a pair of arms wrapped firmly around her shoulders. She looked up at her benefactor. "Severus!" she exclaimed.

His name shot from her lips and struck him like a physical blow, even more affecting than having this woman suddenly in his arms. His breath caught in his throat as the eyes that had terrified students for more than two decades struggled to remain impassive.

Hermione's wide eyes, flushed cheeks, and shallow breathing caught the full attention of the dark man. _She is even more appealing up close,_ thought the taciturn man_._ He took a slight step back, stood tall, and said in his best first-day voice, "You should watch where you're going, miss. Or I shall have to give you a detention."

She shook her head to shove away the sudden invasion of memories, and her blush intensified. Then she blinked at him. "Did you just… make a joke?" she asked incredulously.

"Professor Granger, I insist you keep such fancy to yourself," he said with a scowl.

Her answering smile lit her eyes and face, and he struggled with an unfamiliar want to respond in kind.

"It's very good to see you, Sev… erm, Professor Snape." she stuttered, blushing. "I, uh, I trust you are doing well?"

His eyes narrowed, and he tried his best to intimidate her. "_Miss_ Granger, it is unbecoming for one of your intellect to engage in pedantic small talk. I came, at the Headmistress's insistence, to see that you are well settled and..." he stood straighter as whatever scent she was wearing was causing him to become very… uncomfortable. He would have to keep his distance from this former student - this _woman_ - unless he wanted to make a fool of himself. Leave it to Minerva to meddle.

"I am to _escort you_ to dinner in the Great Hall." The twisted sneer on his face showed his displeasure, and Hermione could not help but feel a little put out, while still being amused; it took an order from the Headmistress for him to come see her - she knew he thought himself above such gestures - _and_ Minerva was trying to out-fox a man who had been playing this game for decades.

She decided to play it simple, in the hopes that he would be civil tonight. "I am honored to be welcomed so. Shall we go?" she asked as she her held her hand out to him with a small smile. His answering sneer was enough to make her flush in embarrassment, and he stalked ahead of her down the hall. With a small shudder of anger mixed with desire _how appealing he is when he does that_, she followed, knowing this was just the beginning and that she should stay smart.

When they reached the instructor's entrance, he stopped and waited for her to catch up. "Far be it from me to disobey the Headmistress," he muttered as he held his arm out to her. Her answering glare only made him cock an eyebrow at her, and after a tense moment she subsided, and took the proffered arm.

"If only Harry could see this," she said with a wry grin.

"Indeed," he responded, with a smirk that looked suspiciously like a smile.

The Grand Hall was noisy with the anticipation of a new school year, and they were the last teachers to enter. Of course, their seats were on the far side of the dais. They walked the width of the Hall arm-in-arm, whispers and stares shooting their way. As Snape courteously pulled out Hermione's chair, the Hall quieted, struck dumb by such oddity. Hermione took the proffered seat, then smiled at her former instructor, who turned up one eyebrow and one corner of his mouth before scowling darkly at the shocked student body.

"May I have your attention, please!" Minerva's strong voice rang out over the Hall. "Welcome, students, back to Hogwarts. Please welcome your newest classmates as we begin the Sorting!"

The Sorting took its usual time, filling each House almost equally. Hermione was taken back to her own First Night At Hogwarts, and she couldn't help but smile. At that moment, Severus Snape glanced her way, and his breath lodged in his throat. He was still staring at her, mesmerized, when she felt his gaze; she turned to him, and smiled. His answering smile and the softening of his eyes made her heart melt. They sat smiling at each other - a seeming eternity though it was only a moment - until thunderous applause startled them from their reverie.

Dinner was to begin.

As the Headmistress announced dinner and the tables were suddenly shuddering with the weight of the food for the Feast, Severus Snape forced his heart to beat again and to ignore the presence of the people - _the woman_ - beside him. He scowled at his setting as he would an errant student, and he berated himself for what had just happened, stabbing at his dish with malice.

_Why was I staring at her like an errant schoolboy? Why did I offer her my arm? WHY did I smile at her? I'm a grown man with decades of evil hardened in my soul, and she's a young, brilliant, beautiful former student of mine who is sitting too damn close to me!_

Hermione noticed the closure of his entire being, his fiery scowl, and her countenance fell. Why was he acting like this? She had never seen him so much as smirk happily in all the years she'd… well, _known_ was too strong a word. In all the years since she'd first met him, this odd reaction to her tonight coupled with his standard menacing manner had her pondering his former life as a spy and the facets of his less-than-amicable personality… Perhaps he was just out of her league?

Then her mind shuffled back to his breathtaking Potions skills; his hands moving swiftly and surely over cutting board and cauldron, through the processes of separating and identifying color, depth, and liquidity; sensual in an altogether unnerving way was his exceptionally swift and bright mind; his sharp, though dark, sense of humor; his scent, reminiscent of all that time spent slaving over bubbling pots with various concoctions but with his undeniably male scent underlying. She decided she didn't care if he was going to act oddly: she was urgently attracted to him, and she noticed that his close proximity was causing her some rather personal discomfort.

Her gaze fell on one long-fingered hand, which was mere centimeters from her smaller one. She stared as if willing it to move, take her own hand, caress her palm in sensual mimicry of what he would do to her whole body if he possessed her. Her breathing shortened as it quickened, and she knew a blush was trying to overtake her face. She quickly removed her eyes from his hand and bit her lip, willing herself to calm down. Then a stern, silky whisper invaded her ear:

"You should know the importance of self control in this situation. I suggest you reign in your adolescent behavior and concentrate on the fact that the Headmistress has called the attention of the whole Hall to your surprisingly enticing display."

Her mortified blush and expression were outshined by a sudden sneeze, and the resulting giggles at her expense covered her embarrassing lapse. She stood shakily and waved and smiled to her new students, relieved beyond measure that her body had reacted to save the day.

_Wait,__enticing display?_

Her sharp glance to Severus Snape as she sat back down missed meeting his sly gaze by an instant. He smirked into his tea as she visibly reacted to what he had said.

He had noticed her shift from smiling to contemplative and was very surprised when she moved on to aroused. He hadn't had a woman respond to his presence that way in…. well, never. Not without an ulterior motive, at least. He'd thought on her as he'd watched her breathing quicken, and her skin flushed dramatically when he'd leaned close to her ear and spoken.

She had really grown into a striking woman, with a beauty that was only enhanced by her stunning mind. She was more skilled at magical chemistry than he had been at that age, and she surpassed most all of the other instructor's skill levels in their own fields by a comfortable margin. She was well-read, intelligent, had a genuine and honest personality, was fiercely loyal, and though she had been molded by the war, she was merely a stronger, wiser, and (above all) quieter woman for it.

She was also causing him extreme discomfort; her scent was intoxicating and the fact that she had unintentionally brushed his thigh as she sat down cause him to scold himself for wanting to act like a hormonal teen. He stifled a groan and replaced his pained expression with one his students usually recoiled from.

He knew he was in trouble, and that his actions already spoke louder than words.

Her slightly angry whisper was just above the threshold of silence.

"You should get your eyes checked, Professor."

She left the Hall quickly. He stared after her, wondering if perhaps he was out of his depth.


	4. Chapter 4

The first month of classes passed with much speed, and Hermione found she loved teaching… and she hated it.

It was so hard to encourage students who had no interest - or no talent - in her class! She raged about the thick-mindedness of the students as her fellow instructors gave each other knowing, amused glances. She was their youngest teacher in two decades, and they recalled the last 'youngster' doing much the same thing during _his_ first year… whilst teaching the very same class.

One night at supper, when Hermione had had a particularly trying day - she'd given out 8 detentions! - Minerva leaned towards the dark wizard and muttered "Reminds me of someone," with a small grin. He scowled in response, and returned to his meal.

In his time, he'd been the youngest teacher that Hogwarts had had in several decades, though his situation had been more directly influenced by the rise of He-Who-Had-Finally-Been-Defeated. He had never looked forward to finding out what new mental mush he would receive from his students each year, and had done - and continued to do - much the same thing she was doing now: showing his frustration via excessive detentions. He wondered idly if there were other things she was frustrated with, and his contemplative look was not lost on the Headmistress.

_Is it time to add more kindling?_ Minerva thought merrily as she watched Hermione engage Severus in animated conversation, commiserating about how amazingly close-minded and oblivious the young were. The young were, at that moment, watching their exchange with open mouths and muttered words: when had their snarky but controlled Professor start talking with people? Well, without a scowl?

The Headmistress watched the conversation shift and the atmosphere between the two teachers change subtly. Hermione's eyes were afire as she spoke about her present magical/chemical research; she was talking and gesturing animatedly. Severus Snape was nodding in agreement, but his eyes were starting to smolder. His responses were also getting more animated; once or twice, he almost looked as if he were enjoying himself.

The staff and students watched open-mouthed as, oblivious to the rest of the world, Severus Snape pulled out Hermione Granger's chair and escorted her from the Great Hall, still caught up in their conversation.

_They're not a bad-looking couple at that_, thought Minerva as she finished her pudding. _I wonder if they're making the progress it seems they are?_

Minerva had intentionally quartered her new teacher in the lower levels, very near her former instructor.

When they had each complained, she justified her decision by saying, "You'll have to share the lab in any event, as it would be wasteful to build another. Your floo can place you in your respective classrooms, but not in the lab. It would be a terrible waste of time and resources for you to be further away than necessary", thinking all the while that it would be very convenient if the lab became their meeting ground: each had an adjacent door in their studies to access it.

She smiled to herself as she started back up to her office. Those two were in for such a journey together. They were made for each other. She had even thought she saw a smile play at his lips when they'd exited the Hall together.

"Ah, I wish you could have seen him like this," she mused to the portrait of Dumbledore as she began her after-dinner paperwork. Since having his portrait mounted in the Headmistress' office, he had yet to move.

"How far along is the experiment?" Severus Snape asked as he and Hermione briskly walked down to the lower levels.

"I am near the end of the 27 hours of waiting. Next, I'll add the Christmas crab shell, the powdered echidna liver, and the Aricai venom. It should be ready in three more days."

"I am… impressed at your progress. How confident are you of success?"

"Oh, about 95%. I know there are some variables I can't control, such as how much pre-preservation contact there is with other skins, but just think! If I can get this correct, those poor kids won't have to suffer anymore."

Severus thought about how beautiful she looked, her face flushed and her eyes shining in the dim torchlight. And what a brain! What he'd found unbearably annoying when she was his student and irritating when she was his erstwhile assistant during the war now pleased and amazed him at least once in nearly every conversation. She was his intellectual equal - she may even exceed his prowess in some areas - and he was beginning to fall for her. He surprised himself by not minding too much.

They had been taking this after-dinner stroll for 6 weeks, whenever they both had a free evening. Oddly, the detentions they both handed out were becoming fewer and fewer in number.

When they'd first begun to discuss Muggle chemistry and physics combined with Potions and spell work in earnest, they had volleyed back and forth, engaged in heated discussions on the properties of ingredients and subjects, what the interactions were, how to prepare variations to improve what now existed… all the things that two brilliant experts in their fields would find interesting. Having finally taken the Defence of the Dark Arts position, Severus found this return to and expansion of his former subject amazingly exciting, and now looked upon the Potions Mistress by his side with respect... and other less clear emotions.

Hermione found herself looking at her former instructor in adoration. _He is so different than he had been: now, he is animated, interested, and almost… warm?_ They had spent several nights in a row in discussion, Hermione leaving to her rooms in the early hours of the morning through her lab door as Severus left through his.

"Well, full completion should take 4 more days, then we can try it out."

"I will make certain we have a supply of animals sufficient for testing."

"Thank you. This would have taken twice as long without your input – and your help." She said as they finished cleaning the lab.

They both stared at the pristine counters and accoutrements for a moment, then took a long glance at each other.

"Well… goodnight, Severus," she said as she made her way to her door.

"Goodnight… Hermione," he replied.

As she took her leave, she felt him staring at her hungrily. She shut the door and pressed against the cool wood for a moment to get her breath back. He'd looked like he wanted to devour her, and she desperately wanted him to.

But she would wait. She needed him to make the first move, now that she knew he was able to look at her in that light. She needed to give him the time and space to do so at his own pace. That was the only way they could come together right. _Oh, this will be difficult_, she thought to herself as she readied for bed. She was burning, wanting him to come to her soon, now, immediately. Her shower was more a disappointment than it had ever been.

What she didn't realize was that he was burning with need for her mere feet away. He threw himself out of bed after several futile hours, going back to the lab to brew long into the night, trying to force her out of his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

The Burrow was still a pleasing place, even with the deaths of so many; Harry and Ginny's two boys were darling, and Ron had matured into the spitting image of his father: his wife was pregnant with their third child (she'd born him twins a year before), and Ron seemed more proud and happier than he could contain. She was simply, deeply, happy for her friends.

Her thoughts took a darker turn as she looked at the man whose arm had wrapped around her protectively just before they Side-Along Apparated to this, her friend's home.

"Stop fretting," he said succinctly, lifting an eyebrow to her guilty start. "These people are your family, and if they love you at all, they will see that you" – and here, his smile deepened and his eyes shone in still-amazed wonderment – "are happy, and will in turn be happy for you. Besides, I will thoroughly enjoy this… and meeting our future students."

Hermione look at him askance, wondering if he was seriously looking forward to a night of nappies and Gryffindors, or if he was being facetious. But Christmas Eve dinner at the Burrow was always a happy occasion, even when the reminiscing got the better of Molly and she started to hug and cry on everyone. The fabulous egg nog she provided only encouraged everyone to oblige her.

"_You're_ going to like meeting these future students? They'll get under your skin before you can say 'Quidditch'" she replied, her eyes dancing.

His swift kiss was her only answer, a kiss that was brought up short when the kitchen door was flung open, and a mutli-person gasp was heard.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for not having already figured out who she was bringing to dinner," he said, his lips still millimeters from hers.

"Let me free, you daft man. They're liable to catch their deaths of cold, gaping in the snow like fish." She shook her head good-naturedly as she dragged the two men of the gaping group back into the warmth.

"Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Weasley," he nodded as they gestured him inside. The silence spread through the kitchen until everyone was starting at the former spy who was _holding hands_ with **their** Hermione. She was _smiling._ At _him_. And **he**… _he was smiling back?_

"Erm,… 'Mione, you do know this isn't April, right?" asked Ron uncertainly. His wife, Gabrielle, softly smiled at him over her pregnant belly and shook her head.

"Ronald, do you not see that they are mad for each other?" Her soft French-accented voice carried so well in the silence.

Her kiss softened the blow for him, but others in the room still stared in shock.

"'Mione, I know you like doing things in your own way but… wow." Ginny Potter patted her husband's arm and grinned at her friend of so many years, who was standing in the sheltering embrace of her former instructor. "You certainly know how to make an entrance. All right!" she shouted as she channeled her mother. "Everybody into the sitting room: we'll have egg nog and nibbles before presents!"

They sat on the porch, swinging in the dimness as the ruckus continued inside. _The Golden Trio_ the papers had dubbed them, and though family life and time had drawn them apart, they were still very close.

"I still can't believe it," said Ron, downing the last of his drink. "Who could possibly handle that - that - I don't even know what I'm allowed to call him without you hexing my bits off. And my wife seems to be very fond of those!"

He'd had a bit to drink tonight… in fact, they were all a little squiffy.

"C'mon, Ron," Harry said in his best-shut-up-before-she-hexes-you voice, "Snape isn't all bad. Look at how many times he saved us… even if he was a right git as an instructor."

"Harry," Hermoine began.

"No use straightening him out, love, he'll only forget it the morning," Severus Snape's deep voice cut through the night. He swooped forward and lifted Hermione from between the two boys. "Say goodnight to your friends: you have a pressing appointment."

Her answering blush and his predatory grin were the last thing they saw as the couple Apparated away, and Ron rubbed his eyes frantically to erase the image.

"At least we know she can handle him," Harry said softly, as Ginny came outside to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"She's probably the only person in the world who could… and he's good for her. Did you see how her eyes light up when he's in the room?"

"Reminds me of someone else's eyes, actually…" Harry murmured as he dragged his wife into his lap.

"Well, I think Gabrielle and I should head home. Lots of presents to set up for the kids. 'Bye, sis. 'Bye, mate. Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas!"


	6. Chapter 6

The snows of winter had finally started to melt, and flowers were taking over every available piece of landscape. As Hermione and Severus braved the still-chill dawn to gather ingredients in the Forbidden Forest, shadows protected scattered piles of snow.

"This is beautiful," she breathed, her cheeks pink with cold.

He nodded in response, only halfway agreeing: he was looking at her, thinking about how lucky he was to have this woman next to him as a lover and a friend. His heart rate increased with every step, as today he would find out if what he suspected was true.

They hiked deep into the woods, pausing to gather whole and partial plants for their stores. Her thoughts flittered around the ticklish fact that she hadn't slept a single night alone in her rooms since last year… that they now shared both ingredients and lab space, as she was just as driven in research as he… that he now habitually smiled when around her, though he was very circumspect around any students. Their colleagues and her friends had started to refer to them as a single entity for the most part, and she was constantly surprised by his gentle acceptance of such presumption and invasion of privacy. In fact, she sometimes caught his hidden smiling when people referred to the two of them as "they" or "you". She thought it was curious: the changes in him since she'd become his friend - and more - were astounding, deep, and hopefully not temporary.

How they had managed to come together so quickly was a matter that still puzzled her: they'd danced around each other whilst working on various projects, rarely letting their hands meet as, when they did, a scalding heat overtook both their beings.

Late one night, when they had perfected a drawn-out experiment, she had flung her arms around him in joy and kissed him. He had kissed her back with unmitigated passion, and the resulting activities had nearly destroyed their workspace. They decided to avoid that in the future by taking every opportunity to slake their passion for one another _before_ working from then-on. And sometimes after. And occasionally in other places... but never in the lab again. Well, usually.

He brought her out of her thoughts with a whispered word. "See," he said, and gestured with his eyes. There, in the clearing, a unicorn stallion and mare were engaged in their mating ritual. Their dashing, prancing, sparring match was the thing of legend: few were honored to witness this rare occurrence, for unicorns were few and only mated once a century. As they continued their dance, she felt his embrace and his lips caressing her neck. She leaned into him, her breath tightening from arousal at his touch and the sight before them.

"It is said that only those destined to be forever bonded to one another will be allowed to witness this sight." His whispered words sent chills down her spine as she watched the stallion with his mare.

"Do you believe that?" she whispered back, her pulse thundering at his closeness and the response her body was having, watching the erotic equine display.

The intensity of his voice resonated deep in her. "With all my soul."

Her startled gaze met his calm one, and she realized that he had planned this, as much as it was possible to plan an encounter with mating unicorns. As he dropped to one knee, she began to shake. His calm smile enabled her to take a deep breath and hush the rushing that had filled her ears.

"Hermione, I never thought I would live past the fall of Voldemort, never thought I would find myself free enough to ask what I plan to ask you today. I have always had a dark side, and it has made me unsuitable for so many years, unable to engage in a relationship that was more intimate than just sex… Even then, I was shuttered and closed, rarely giving and taking but brutally."

He took a deep breath, and continued.

"You have managed something no one in my life has ever done: you have invaded my heart, gently: become my friend, my confidant, and my lover. With you, I have let down the guard that I thought had been fused to my being, and gratefully let you in further than I ever thought possible –" he gave a little laugh "– or wise. Your mind engages and excites me, I long for your body when we are apart, and your open and giving heart has healed things in my spirit I thought permanently disfigured. Your smile warms my coldness; your laugh lifts my moribund countenance; I have no wish to ever let you out of my life, and to that end I ask that you become my wife."

He produced a silver band with a red and green stone settled on it. "This is a blood emerald, imbued with a measure of my blood. As long as you wear this, I am bound to you in heart and in soul, never able to betray you, harm you, or abandon you… save in death, which you know I would not do willingly."

Her eyes welled with unshed tears, and her smile was luminous. His breath was taken away as she knelt in front of him, taking his hands in hers.

"With all my heart, Severus Snape, I want to be yours forever."

His eyes glistening suspiciously, he slid the ring onto her finger. The tug they felt assured them the magic in the stone had worked, and the fullness in his heart threatened to overflow as he possessed the woman who would soon be his wife… in the dark forest, surrounded by unicorns and other imaginary creatures.


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh, 'Moine, it's exquisite!" gushed Ginny, looking at the face of her friend of many years.

"It's a blood emerald," Hermione said softly, and several people gasped.

"He gave you a _blood emerald_?" asked Arthur sharply, his gaze meeting his wife's.

"Yes… and I do know what that signifies."

"Are you sure you _know_?" asked Molly anxiously. She and Arthur looked very concerned.

"Of course: he told me. It's basically a bond oath." Her suspicions flared as they looked at her in shock.

"Is that all he told you?" Arthur asked, his hands moving to her. "Sit down, my girl… you may be in for a shock."

The entire room was bathed in silence as Arthur paced to gather his thoughts, and Molly wrung her hands.

"Hermione, a wizard of Severus Snape's… background, as you may know, will have less compunction in using… mixed-shade magic."

"He means borderline-dark magic, dear," interjected Molly, as the other occupants of the room murmured.

"Yes, and he's done just that here. This ring does not only bind his loyalty to you, but his life to yours, his emotional well-being to yours, his health to yours... And if you remove it - or it is removed from you - without his consent... it may well kill him."

Hermione's pleading eyes fell upon the occupants of the room. "Why would he do that to himself?"

"Because… he loves you and literally does not want to live without you," Arthur replied softly.

The room resonated with this statement, and all realized that the fierce dedication he'd shown in protecting the wizarding world would now cover their Hermione.

Her shock slowly dissolved, and her face soon carried an expression the occupants of the room knew well: Hermione determination.

"Right, then. I need to enlist your help."

He stood in front of a crowd of people, most of whom he knew - colleagues and former students - and scowled. Though his demeanor had changed for the better in the last months, he was still the Bat of the Dungeons, and preferred to act the part. He had started to pace when he felt a hand on his arm.

"She'll be here soon. Don't fidget - it's un-Slytherin." The semi-joking voice of his Godson calmed him somewhat, and he stood still, staring down any person who looked his way for too long.

_What in blazes is keeping the woman?_ he thought viciously, snarling despite his want to keep a controlled face.

Music swelled, and suddenly his hands were clammy, his pulse raced, and then, his heart stopped. Well, it felt that way.

A vision of beauty moved into the room, and all eyes were on her - but she only had eyes for the man in front of her.

Hermione had enlisted the help of all her friends that had been there that night. Harry had helped the most, procuring for her a masculine pendant to which she could affix her blood emerald. She'd spent that entire weekend forming the binding article, and he was furious when she arrived Monday morning just in time for classes.

She put off her explanation, asking him to meet her in her quarters for supper that night. He was moody all that day, taking more house points than he had all during the previous month. She'd made his favorite herself: seared steak tartar with mustard greens, béarnaise sauce, and pear compote topped with Gruyere. Slightly mollified, he'd pleasantly chatted with her until she'd poured a glass of port for herself and a neat Firewhiskey for him, sitting herself on a settee in front of the fire.

"I suppose you're wondering why you received only one vague message all weekend." She began, making a gulp of the sip she'd intended.

"I believe it would be wise of you to slake my curiosity," he said, his glower almost sinister in the shadowy room.

"I found out what this ring means, Severus." She looked up at him with her heart in her eyes. "I couldn't let any time pass before I proved to you that… that I would rather die than be without you as well."

She flung her arms around him, his stunned response to yank her back and stare into her eyes.

"You did not do what I think you did? Hermione, tell me you didn't condemn yourself to me or nothing!" he shook her none too gently, and she struggled. Her hand found its target, and she secured the chain around his neck.

"WHY would I not do what you had committed yourself to, Severus Snape? Without my knowledge, consent, or understanding? WHY would you _lie_ - albeit by omission - to me about my engagement ring?" Her voice lowered. "_Why_ would I not want to commit myself the same as you? I love you! I want to be with you! And that includes possible tragedy."

She was furious with him, he saw, and hurt. He shook his head, and his voice was choked with emotion.

"My love, I could not bear the thought of you suffering on my account. I wish you to live a full and happy life after I am gone, and should that happen earlier than later… I cannot bear the thought of you dying because of me. Please, _please_ remove this from me."

"My love, my only love…" Tears welled in her eyes and she brushed his lips with her own. "Removing it would only prevent a physical death. My existence would wither away slowly without you, and it would be a _greater_ kindness to let me join you immediately should you leave me too soon."

Her words, her actions, had taken all the fight out of him, and they held each other late into the night, sleeping on the sofa in her quarters.

Draco nudged his godfather slightly. "Breathe, man, or you'll pass out and miss your own wedding."

Severus Snape shook himself back to the present, and drank in the sight of his bride.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: LEMONS! OK, not so lemony, as this is an intimate scene between two married adults… but, still: lemons.**_

_**This is the kind of thing the story is rated MA for, and it WILL happen again. Please do NOT read this if this kind of thing makes you unhappy.**_

She reclined in his - _their_ - bed, glowing with satisfaction. He had been animalistic under a veneer of calm control. She sensed he wanted to rip through her bridal gown upon crossing the threshold of his rooms, but instead he placed her on his bed, lit a fire, warded and soundproofed the room, and sat beside her, taking her hand and gently kissing her, asking if she were certain that this - that _he_ - was what she wanted. That he was old, scarred - all nonsense to her ears and she'd told him so. Then, she'd gently begun to unbutton his clothes, taking her time, tracing each and every scar with her lips or her fingers. She watched his face from time to time, and his expression was beyond deep; it was an outpouring of emotion that had everything to do with her, and her own emotions began to shine in her eyes.

His eyes narrowed, but her warm expression, though wetted by unshed tears… he understood! His shaky smile turned into a Cheshire grin when she softly said, "I love you Severus Snape." All the hope in his eyes! All for her.

She thought of the hours spent in close quarters, filled with experimentation and discussion, heated and lively. His face took on a healthy glow when debating with her, and his flashing eyes could sometimes fill with the mirth his mouth would not willingly express. His gaze sometimes tracked her when she knew he thought she wasn't paying attention, and she knew that when he saw another man seated near her, he grew uneasy.

But not today: today, he finally knew her as _his_, and nothing in the world would take her away from him. She had assuaged his lingering fears with her loving eyes and honest words… and now, he was whole.

"I have a gift for you, my bride", he whispered, and used his wand to levitate to her a small, heavy box.

She opened it, and her forehead wrinkled with a sudden memory, an image she recalled from many shadowy dreams. The box contained an unusual figurine: a silver serpent wrapped around a golden lioness. The jeweled eyes - emerald and ruby - bore into each other in a frozen tableau. But this cold war was no battle: she blushed to realize that they were locked in an altogether more personal embrace. Her color deepened as she thought of the legendary quarrelling between their two houses: would that rivalry be rendered onto a new battlefield? Or would they find a way to circumvent the House affiliations that both had served since turning eleven - a perception that he'd been subjected to for many more years than she?

"It's exquisite," she murmured, letting her new spouse take her in his arms.

The dark head now stirred next to her, and her gaze refocused on his sleep-relaxed face. The small ghost of a smile played at his lips, and she was unable to resist kissing it. His eyes opened slightly, then wider, and the ghost disappeared to be replaced by a gently sexy smile.

"You look much more rested than I thought you would, Wife" his deep voice vibrated towards her, causing her sheet-covered nipples to stiffen.

"I slept very deeply, and very comfortably, thanks to you." She replied, and leaned in to rest her head and hand on his chest.

His voice resonated in every fiber of her being as he said, "I will never forget last night. You were… a fantasy come to reality."

She looked up into his face, and licked her lips in response. Impishly grinning, eyes sparkling, she crooked an eyebrow at him. "I'm not real quite yet." With that, she dove under the covers, and all he could do was gasp and moan her name as her deft fingers and wet mouth brought him to full mast in a matter of seconds.

His thrusting response to her actions made her grin, and made her wetter than she'd been when she awoke. Her mumbled responses vibrated on his staft, and he did not know how he managed to stay in control.

Then she wiggled her rear a little closer, and his hand snaked out to grasp her buttock. His surprise attack made her suck in, and that only brought him closer to the edge. His finger plunged into her moisture with no preamble, and he was able to add another two before her muffled scream pushed him dangerously close to filling her mouth with his seed. His fingers found that spot inside her, that special spot, and her shaking and moaning precipitated the juices that coated his fingers, slicked his palm, and ran down his wrist.

When he raised his forearm to taste her, she suddenly swallowed him whole, and he lost it: with a grunting scream of her name, he spasmed and spurted directly down her throat; he came and came as he felt her drinking his essence down. He regained the presence of mind to continue stroking her after the most intense part of his orgasm had subsided, and was rewarded with a writhing woman moaning and gasping his name as release after release was granted her. He moved her so that he could stroke her pert breasts and give her a deeper penetration.

"Scream for me," he spoke darkly into her ear as his fingers twisted and stroked her inner depths, his other hand now grasping her body to his. "Scream my name when I make you come."

"Sh - AH! - SEVERUS!" her face, contorted by her orgasm, was a stunning, terrifying, immensely arousing sight, and he stroked her one last time before replacing his hand with his newly hard phallus, shifting her shuddering body to plunge into her pulsing depths.

He rode her like a dying man, wanting to penetrate her as deeply as humanly possible. Her ankles he lifted over his shoulders, and her constant screams of pleasure goaded him to pound into her harder, deeper, faster.

When she came, his vision went white, and he joined her as she dragged the last of his essence into her waiting heat. Her breathing matched his: exhausted, sated, panting breaths, calming to whispered moans and satisfied whimpers as he slid out of her and cradled her in his arms.

They drifted off in each other's embrace, soft smiles gracing their faces.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: MORE lemons - again, please do not read if it's not your bag…but there is an important plot bunny hiding in the steam…_

"Well, those are finally done."

Severus Snape stretched and eased himself out from behind his desk. "Wife, would you like to go up to the Great Hall for dinner tonight, or have the house elves bring us our meal here?" he asked as he wandered from his office into their rooms.

For their wedding present, Minerva had planned to expand and redesign Severus Snape's quarters for the two of them, but Hogwarts had other plans. They were the first openly married teachers to reside at Hogwarts in more than three centuries, and the castle seemed eager to make them comfortable. When they returned from their honeymoon - three weeks spent on a tiny wizarding island near Fiji - they discovered they each had their own offices, for work and receiving students, had a sitting room with a dining area, an expanded library, a large bathroom and a bedroom, all of which had been amended to reflect both their tastes and to give them space. The rooms were magically connected to their classroom offices via new doors, and the bedroom now had aspects of a Room of Requirement. The couple had been extremely pleased, and amazed.

When he walked into their private quarters, his eyes landed on a beautifully laid out repast being finished by his radiant, scantily clad wife.

"I think you'd prefer to eat in, don't you?" she said with a slightly mischievous grin.

"Where did you find the time to do all this?" he said in wonder, as men have done since the dawn of time.

"Oh, I made time," she said. She was dressed in a flattering deep green set of semi-opaque robes with gold embroidery, and her hair had been tamed to fall softly down her back.

He swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

"You look delectable, the food smells wonderful, and I'm just having a terrible time making my decision."

"What decision?" she asked, puzzled.

"Which of you I'm going to consume first," he said with a low growl and a nip at her neck.

When they were done with their meal, which they had partially fed to each other, she had taken him into their bedroom for desert. She dropped her robes to reveal an emerald negligee, tall gold stiletto heels… and nothing else. He made fast work of his myriad buttons, raised the gauzy material to her hips, and spread her leg in a vertical split so he could taste her.

Her moans and cries could be heard through every room in their quarters, but they'd placed permanent silencing spells on their rooms so as not to scare the students or faculty. After she had come in his mouth for the third time, he laid her back on the bed, and rammed his rod home. He knew he would not last long tonight - his wife's tight sheath was stroking him nearly beyond his pleasure threshold - so he stroked deep into her, leaned over her, and kissed her deeply while resting.

"I have one more surprise for you tonight," she said between shudders of pleasure. "Flip me over."

He lifted her still-impaled body, and threw himself on his back. When she landed, he felt like he had entered her womb he was so deep. Her cry of ecstasy, and the clenching of her inner muscles almost sent him over the edge.

"Ride me hard, wife. I want to see your face when you scream my name."

He gripped her hips, and helped her move, grind, and pound herself onto him over and over, deeper and harder than she ever had. Her bouncing breasts were left to themselves as they worked each other until sweat poured down their bodies. The juncture of their joining was slick with their personal lubricants, and Severus knew he was nearing the end of his endurance.

"Make me come," Hermione managed to pant out, her hair plastered to her body, her skin flushed with exertion and impending orgasm. Her nails raked her breasts as he slammed into her spasming depths as far as possible, a growling roar ripped from his lungs as his release tore from his body and flew into hers. Her shriek fairly deafened him, and she cried his name as wave after wave of cum flowed into her. He massaged her nub lightly as she continued to milk his cock of every bit of fluid, his other hand kneading one of her self-tortured breasts.

"Oh, Severus," she moaned as one last pulse of her cum washed onto him. "My Husband. You are beyond amazing. I love you." She laid down, kissing him, loathe to let him slide out of her yet.

"Are you ready for that surprise now?" she asked when she caught her breath.

"I cannot wait any longer for it," he said as he slowly began to move his still-turgid member in her.

"Mister Snape… you're going to be a father."

He stopped, still buried to the hilt inside his wife, and gaped.

"A baby? We're having a baby?" The look of wonder - and shock - on his face was something she knew she'd never forget.

"You're pleased?" She asked nervously.

"Woman, I am going to make you come so hard tonight you won't be able to remember your name. You have made me the happiest man in existence. I'm going to be a father!" he exclaimed as he took Hermione back to the heights of physical pleasure, to pair with the emotional pleasure of knowing that they were going to have a family.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh, she's beautiful," Gabrielle cooed as Ron handed her the newest Snape.

"She has 'Mione's nose and his hair - lucky kid," Ron said snarkily.

"Oh, Daddy, she has pretty eyes!" sparked their youngest.

"Shhhh, yes, Bryan, she does. Speak softly, love, her Maman is very, very tired right now." Gabrielle smiled over at the proud, exhausted parents of the tiny bundle she held in her arms. Deep violet eyes peered out of alabaster skin, dark wispy hair framed a very feminine face, and a tiny smirk grace the newborn's lips.

"Oh, you are your father's daughter, you are," smiled Gabrielle as she passed the infant back to her mother. "She is beautiful, 'Ermione, and those eyes! It is almost as if… well, surely a fortunate sign, yes?"

"We should go, 'Mione, let you get your rest. Snape, congratulations," said Ron, and extended his hand. Severus Snape took the proffered hand and shook it, and gestured towards the door.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, children. My wife is very glad you came," he said as they exited the room and shut the door. "A word, please. Children, please wait just down the hall, there."

Ron looked at Severus Snape with a shadow of his old distrust.

"My daughter's eyes are going to be commented on, on a regular basis I imagine, and few will know the significance. Mrs. Weasley, you obviously know something of the history of that particular trait, and many of the implications. I ask that, for the time being, you share this information only with your husband and _no one else_. I would like to tell my wife what this means when she has regained her strength."

"What _what_ means? What are you on about, Snape?"

"Ronald, _cher_, this is a delicate matter, and not a discussion for within the hearing of little pitchers, yes? Children, it's time to go home. I will take care of this, Severus Snape, have no worry on that," finished Gabrielle as she gathered her brood and spouse and herded them towards the floos.

Severus heaved a sigh of relief and went back to his wife and daughter.

"Amethyste Lillian Snape. Such a beautiful name for such a beautiful girl!" Harry picked the infant up and blew on her belly. Ginny looked on fondly, then resumed listening to Hermione.

"So, he said he didn't know it would manifest, and was certain there were no worries about it if the baby was a boy - which is what we were told we were having - and now… well, now we'll just have to see what happens. There's no stopping it, and training… there isn't anyone in this country to do it! I really don't know what we're going to do."

"I think you should just treat her like the beautiful girl she is and tickle her belly. Oh, yes I do. Brrrrph." Harry continued to play with Amey as Hermione gave a slightly exasperated sigh.

"That's wonderful, and don't slobber on my baby's belly, but what if I'm feeding her and she just… changes? I don't want my response to hurt her, I don't want to be startled into dropping her, I can't think of what I'd do if she was _taken_, and I…"

"'Mione," Harry said, looking his friend in the eye, "you have nothing to worry about. You've got to be one of the most competent people in existence, your husband is one of the deadliest, you're both among the smartest, and you have some of the most protective humans on the planet watching out for you no matter what. They won't take her, you won't drop her, and she knows you love her and your reaction will be just what it's supposed to be."

"Oh, Harry, I know you're right. I just - it's so typical. My child is special and it puts her, our family, and our friends in grave danger for life."

Ginny took Hermione's hands in her own. "At least you can handle it. I'd never even be able to leave the house in your shoes!"

"That's just because you wear a size 8 and I wear a five-and-a-half."

"Well, at least your sense of humor hasn't been affected… more's the pity," muttered Harry, dodging a swipe from both women.

"Well, it's time for us to get back. Thanks, you two. I know having a goddaughter with Fey blood isn't a pleasant surprise, but it's good to know you love her no matter what."

They exchanged hugs and baby kisses and cooing for several minutes, then Hermione stepped into the fireplace with Amey, announced "Snape Manor", and disappeared.

Severus and Hermione lay in bed, recovering from their first full intercourse since their daughter was born.

"Darling?" she asked softly, rubbing her hand on his chest.

"Mmm?"

"Harry and Ginny said you were one of the deadliest wizards in existence, and one of the smartest."

"They insult me. I am _the_ smartest wizard in existence: I married you. I am also _the_ deadliest wizard in existence: I would kill anyone who harmed even an eyelash of yours… or our daughter's."

"They also said they're watching over us, all of them, and that they'll help if needed - no matter what."

"You have loyal, if overzealous, friends my love, and we three are blessed in protecting our daughter in this most… unusual circumstance."

He sighed and stared at the ceiling as his wife drifted off to sleep. He'd known he had a family line of questionable purity, but had not thought he would ever have to worry about any progeny. When Poppy had announced that they were having a boy, all the worries disappeared, and he was relieved that he wouldn't have to explain the oddities in his bloodline to his inquisitive young wife.

Now, it seemed that Fate had other plans.

Having Fey blood was once a common occurrence: many a young maid and wife made sacrifices for the promises of the Little Folk. It was rumored that half-Elves were the reason for the House Elves dark past and subsequent servitude. But now, with belief waning and fairy circles in short supply, the Daonie Shide were rarely seen or interacted with, and the occurrence of Fey blood was becoming something of a fairy tale.

Severus sighed, and gathered his wife in his arms. She was so small compared to him, fitting snugly under his chin, her buttocks pressed into his crotch. She made him so hungry for her, and the last several weeks had been very trying for him. Now that they were back in action, he found he needed to hold her more, just needed her near. His daughter and his wife were his most precious possessions – he did possess them in his mind, no matter the reality – and he intended to do whatever he had to, so that no harm ever come to them.

He lay in the dark, cradled around his sleeping wife, and thought. He would have this problem sorted out, no matter the cost.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Lemon-flavored chapter ahead. Skip it if you don't dig it.**_

"I can't believe you would do something like this without consulting me! I don't want to leave Hogwarts – this is my home!" Hermione ranted and paced as her husband sat stoically in his office chair.

"Wife, I made a decision for a difficult situation for the benefit of our family." His stern reply was met by disbelief.

"Severus Snape, _our child_ is sleeping in the nursery! _I am your wife!_ I don't deserve a decision like this just thrown at me. I deserve input, a chance to give an alternative. Now you've handed me a fait accompli that removes me from everyone I know and love."

"Everyone?" his eyebrow quirked. This was not good, but it had to be done! They could not lose their daughter, and this was the only way to protect her.

"Oh, Severus, I… just,… just everyone else." She sat dejectedly on the sofa and put her face in her hands. "The people I've known since I was a child, my friends, my work. I know we need to keep Amey safe, but there has to be a way other than abandoning all we have here."

"Hermione," he said, moving to her and taking her in his arms. "I knew this would be upsetting, but it is for the best. I told Minerva that we would be taking a year, and she seemed to think that was a good idea: bond with our child, as a family."

"She doesn't know, does she?"

"The fewer that know, the better. I have already placed safeguards around the Potters and the Weasleys to make sure their knowledge does their families no damage."

"Thank you," she said softly, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Any place I am with you is home, but… there's no easy way to do this, is there? I didn't think of anything. I think that's why I was mad."

"You were put, through no fault of your own, into an untenable position. My wife," he said as he pulled her to his face. "I would not do anything to hurt you with malice. This is also… painful for me. But," he added, his face hardening, "I will not lose my child to any threat, hereditary or man. And I know you feel the same. We will sacrifice what we must for her."

Hermione nodded, moved by the intensity of her husband. She was still dreading what they would have to do to help their daughter, but the passion she held for the dark wizard threatened to enfulge her.

"I take it I've moved you, Wife," he said, the silk in his voice becoming more pronounced.

"I love it when you talk protectively," Hermione said with a sexy smile. "Take me, Husband."

"Ah, I estimate that my study has missed your cries of passion. Let us see if we can rectify that."

The walls fairly shook with the power he took her with, his pulsating member thoroughly straining her elasticity as he pounded into his wife; frustration, need, worry, and lust copulating with the love he held for his woman.

"Oh, Severus," she moaned, as he took her to the heights.


	12. Chapter 12

The trees were magnificent, and the cliffs where they had their domicile were breathtaking and beautiful. From the full-length windows of their living room, they watched the sun set on their first day on the coast of Oregon, USA.

"Oh, this is gorgeous", said Hermione, curled into her husband, with her child at her breast.

Severus smiled a small smile at his wife and daughter. When the school year had ended, they had traveled by ship from London to New York. The cruise was tiring but exhilarating, and he was wise in that decision: the time change by Portkey would have been too sudden for the babe in Hermione's arms.

They took various detours while traveling to the West Coast: a few New York shows; D.C. and it's monuments; a jaunt to New England and the school Hermione had left behind those few years ago. In Minnesota, they took a cabin for a week to just be by themselves. Then, they traveled to Portland, and spent a few days looking around the city and deciding that, though they were close to where they needed to be, they were not yet close enough. The magic they sensed was not strong, and they _knew_ they would feel when they'd found the right place.

They traveled to the coast, and were met by chill winds, even in late summer. The landscape was familiar in a way neither of them had expected, and when they found the small wizarding community there, they felt as though they were home.

Hermione was surprised at the sheer number of lavender-eyed wizards and witched she met, and knew her little Amey would be safe, here.

"Mr. and Mrs. Snape, if you would follow me please?" said the red-headed, blue eyed secretary of the magical Mayor.

Mr. Lumence was an old wizard with a similarity to a certain Hogwarts Headmaster… but with those same purple eyes.

"Thank you, Cat. Severus, Hermione… Amey," he cooed at the baby. "I believe we have found suitable assistance for you."

"Thank you, Mayor. We are so very appreciative of your help."

Hermione grasped her husband's hand.

"Where from - and most importantly, whom - have you found?" asked Severus with his customary scowl.

"Well, as you can imagine, the Caretakers are usually bound to families already… but tragedy struck early last year on the 101, and an entire family was lost." His usually cheery mien was marred by a flash of grief. "That left their Caretaker rather lost, as well. She was one of the happiest ones, up to that point, and… well, no one would take her in after that. She actually refused to go."

"Why did no one want her?" asked Hermione.

"Well…" The Mayor looked very bashful for a moment, and resumed with a stiffening of his spine.

"She… tried to hurt the Caretakers of other children."

Severus glared, Hermione gasped, and the Mayor looked guilty.

"I will NOT have a violent magical creature anywhere _near_ my daughter!" he raged, and Amey started to cry.

"Darling," said Hermione as she tried to calm both of her family members down. "Mr. Mayor, _why_ in the world do you think this would be acceptable to us?"

"Well, you see… _*sigh* All_ of the other Caretakers have their own families, and are exceptionally, well, careful of them. Having a non-related Caretaker in your place, minding your charges,… it is simply not the way they work."

"Oh… so, she is… an orphan?"

"Yes, I think you could say that."

They sat in silence for a moment, the Snapes looking into each other's eyes, remembering all the grief they had witnessed.

"We… will give her a try," said Severus.

"What is her name?" asked Hermione.

"Clover. Her name is Clover."


	13. Chapter 13

"Well, that wasn't _so_ bad," voice Hermione as she and a sleeping Amey sat rocking in the nursery.

"Yes, she could have evaporated the _entire_ house instead," snarked Severus as he paced in front of his wife and daughter.

Cat, the Mayor's secretary (and daughter, they'd found out), had shown up on their doorstep just after noon, with a small companion: Clover. When they had invited them inside, the small creature - who looked very much like a House Elf - had shrieked when she saw Amey's eyes.

"Small one! Child of us! Not in this house!" she had cried, then ran from room to room, changing furniture, art, and the shapes of some of the rooms, causing the windows to become ether opaque or removing them entirely. In a matter of minutes, the entire house had been re-formed.

The humans had stood, eyes wide and mouths open, as this flurry of activity changed the open, airy house into a bunker.

"Must… keep - out…" muttered the creature as she collapsed in the foyer.

"WHAT! Is the -" started Severus.

"SHH! Dear, just… let her rest. I think… I think I understand. A little." voiced Hermione softly, as Amey's reaction startled them all:

She wiggled in her mother's arms, then began to glow with a deep blue light. The adults stared in amazement as she floated to her room, the glow capturing Clover to float her along behind.

As they followed their child and the Caretaker into the nursery, they discovered a small cot next to the crib, and a tiny array of new… well, toys is what they looked like, but they all glowed with the same deep blue light. The child laid herself in the crib, and the Caretaker was laid gently onto the cot. Soft snores could soon be heard from both.

"Well," said Cat. "I think that's that, then. Floo if you need anything," she said merrily as she let herself out the front door.

Silence reigned for several minutes.

Hermione went to the crib, picked up her sleeping child, sat in the rocker, and began to sway back and forth.

"Severus, I think that's what the Caretakers are supposed to do."

"What, rearrange the furniture? And _why_ is our child _glowing_?"

"I… well, don't _you_ know? I mean, this is from _your_ side of the…" she trailed off at the look her husband was giving her.

"_Love_, there hasn't been a girl child in our family for 17 generations."

"…Oh. That's… unusual, isn't it?"

"No one ever said anything about it, actually."

"…"

"In fact," he mused "No one _ever_ spoke of this Caretaker business,… just that, if I were to have children, it was expected that I… send away… any girl children…"

As he trailed off, he began to get furious.

"I… believe I have been misled. Wife, I will return."

And with that, he strode out of the room. She heard the front door open and close, and the _*crack*_ of apparation.

"He must be _very_ upset," she said to herself. "He never makes any noise doing that anymore…"

She pondered into dusk, rocking her still-sleeping child in the room where a new and interesting creature softly snored in her sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione was worried.

Severus had yet to return, and it was nearing midnight. She had fed Amey, who had woken up around 8 and then immediately gone back to sleep. The Caretaker _I have to remember to call her Clover_, she thought, was still deeply asleep. The glow was still on them both.

As she put down the book she had been trying to read for the last two hours, she got mad.

_I've been thrust away from everything I ever knew, had a strange creature bond to my child, and my husband just whisked himself away without an explanation and has been gone for hours!_

Just then, the sound of apparation, and the front door flew open.

"Hermoine, love," he gasped as he ran to her.

"Severus, I - " she began as she stood.

"Gather Amey and the Caretaker and come with me - now!"

"Severus, what going on? I don't -"

"NOW, wife! We must go - now!" he shouted, gripping her arms in earnest.

"The future of our child - perhaps all those of her descent - hangs in the balance. We have a safe place to go, but we must go now."

The unusual pleading in her husband's eyes and voice motivated Hermoine to move, and as she placed the child and the creature in her arms, she heard her husband shouting:

"Not from this place will you find anything of use: begone to your pits when you find yourselves hence!"

She felt magic course through the house, and gasped as Severus flew into the room, apparating them away.

Darkness.

Darkness and dryness.

She opened her mouth to ask where they were, why this was happening, but felt his hand cover her mouth.

"In good time, love. Just a bit more time."

The two in her arms slumbered still, thankfully, and they were light to hold. As her eyes adjusted, she saw they were in a small, octagonal room… the light still emanating from both of the small ones she carried in her arms let her see ghosts of runes and symbols carved into the black, shiny rock.

_Obsidian? That's very protective stuff…_ she thought.

Though her mind was screaming with questions, she trusted her husband… and because his breathing was ragged, she knew they were not yet out of danger.

A muffled bang was heard, and it shook the ground on which they stood. A small whimper escaped her lips, but Severus folded her and the two precious bundles she carried into his embrace, and whispered to be quiet once more.

Another shake, and then an ominous silence. An interminable time later, what had appeared to be a wall opened.

"Well, it seems the cozy family is yet safe? Set on out now, brother: they've gone - with their tails between their legs, too. I wager they shan't be visiting the House of Myrth again soon."

Hermione looked up un awe at the woman standing before her: she resembled Severus, but her _eyes…_ they were a glowing, dancing purple.

"Sister, I see you carry with you the one foretold: follow me, and there will be answers… and no more tears," chided the woman as she let her hand rest just above Amey's sleeping brow.

Hermione watched as the woman swept away, beckoning them with her hand. She stiffly started to follow, with her husband beside her.

"Severus, what's going on?" she asked in a voice she was sure sounded scared and tired.

"Apparently, we are in for quiet an _adventure_," he spat. "I have reason to believe that our daughter has been awaited for many generations."

_Oh, not another set of prophesies!_ thought Hermione.

"No, Sister," said the woman, who was leading them up their 6th staircase.

"She is the Awaited One: she is to take the place of the Queen."

And at that, Hermione promptly fainted.


	15. Chapter 15

Severus was worried.

His wife was now laying comfortably on a chaise lounge, his daughter was in his arms, and the Caretaker - Clover - was sitting on the edge of a chair, watching Amey with rapt attention.

The woman who had announced the prophesy swept back into the room, holding a small vial.

"Sonorous, what is that?" queried Severus with a glare.

"Brother, relax: these are smelling salts: it is imperative that you both hear the remainder of what needs to be said."

She leaned over the slumbering Hermione, and she came to with a start.

"Severus! Amey!" she cried, panicked until Severus brought himself and their daughter over.

"Shh, love, we're here. We're fine." He turned to his sister.

"As much as I know that my wife needs to rest after that shock, I am aware that time is short. Let me explain all that has happened since I left them, then tell her all that you told me, and what remains."

He turned to Hermione, lifted the babe into her arms, and got up to pace.

"I told you what I know of my family history... what little there was that I knew: that Fey blood runs through the veins of our family line, but affects only those born female. As I said, no girl child had been born in my family for many, many generations... or so I thought."

Here, he glanced at the other woman in the room.

"It seems that I was greatly mistaken in that statement: Hermione, I would like to introduce you to my older sister, Sonorous."

Hermione gaped, but recovered quickly. "Sonorous, it's nice to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, though under less stressful circumstances would have been better." said the willowy woman with eyes so like Amey's.

"It seems that she was sent away, at birth, to be cared for by the people of this town. However, there is a... _prophesy_," he winced at the word, "that states that one of our family line will one day free those in bondage and sentence those who have usurped to darkness."

"Sounds like a plan - I'm all for helping the downtrodden... but they can't use our baby!" Hermione exploded, clutching the napping infant to her chest.

"I know it is a difficulty... especially considering your past. But this child - my niece - has been awaited for centuries. And when you hear what the conflict is... well, you may change your mind."

Sonorous approached Hermione and Severus, and sat down on a vacant chair.

Hermione's mind refused to accept the words her sister-in-law was saying, and her mind wandered to the room.

They were obviously underground still, but it felt more like a Hobbit-hole than a cave. The rock walls were covered in most places by attractive murals and tapestries, the furniture was large and comfortable, and the fireplace cast the room in flickering warmth.

"My family has had Fey blood for centuries," began Severus. "It seems the gifts they promised were too much for the young women of the time to refuse... Over the generations, our bloodline became infused with talents that are rare in the wizarding world, but became common to children born to our line."

"Such as a great deal of power or great talent at Occlumency?" surmised Hermione.

"But there was a cost," continued Sonorous, nodding. "In addition to the... physical costs. Those of the bloodline were bound to assist the Court of the Tuatha Dé Danann to enforce certain rules. When one of the factions, comprised mostly of small elves, revolted due to the slave-like conditions they were placed under, the wizards of the bloodline were 'asked' to assist in their punishment."

Here, Sonorous drew their attention to Clover, who had climbed up next to Hermione to watch the sleeping infant.

"You mean, they...?" Hermione began.

"Yes, the House Elves, as you call them in Europe, Caretakers as we call them here, were once the primary servants of the Fair Folk, usually Pookas. They were aware that they were being mistreated, and when they asked to be treated more fairly, they were cast out of Faerie and denied access to their shape-shifting abilities and other powers."

"But the women of the bloodline were furious at this affront, and what their male relatives had been forced to do. They secretly restored what powers of the banished Fey they could, enhance in some ways, and made a vow:

**'Fain the pale and lovely to gaze upon do sink to the low depths of malice; comes a day where the heather shall aid those to rise that you have wronged: therefrom dancing and joy in the Halls of the Mountain King for those downtrodden.'**

"Over the centuries, we of the bloodline, and our families, have given shelter to those who were cast out, and we who know of the vow have kept our eyes open for the day that The One would come."

Hermione and Severus shared a groan at the last: The One, The Chosen One... they had both had more than enough of that with Harry and He-Who-Was-Finally-Gone.

Hermione's brow furrowed, and she looked at the two siblings.

"How do you know our Amey is this 'One'?"

A small, sad smile graced Sonorous' features.

"The prophesy that goes along with the vow, of course. It was made five or so centuries ago, by a great and respected Seer who was not of the bloodline, so had no intimate knowledge of the vow that was made:

**'She born of two opposed in the line - from the Snake and the Lion shall she come - with eyes of jewel and hair of night - power inherent and love reassured - shall bring the Shide to their knees.'**

"So, what chased us out of our new home, and was able to follow us here so quickly?" Severus asked, knowing he would not like the answer.

"The Fair Folk have their dogs... and their warriors. I'm afraid the Abhartach know just how to find you."

"Oh, no," wept Hermione, and Severus held her close.


	16. Chapter 16

Severus and Hermione sat in worried silence, digesting all they had heard.

"Let me get this straight: the things that are after us, the Abhartach, those are the same things from Irish legend? Basically, vampires?"

"I'm afraid so," replied Sonorous.

"And you're sure Amey is *shudder* The One because we're from Gryffindor and Slytherin?"

Another gentle smirk-like smile grace Sonorous' lips.

"Not only that you are from two Houses that have a history of, shall we say, less-than-friendly interaction, and of course because of her looks... No, there is more."

She stood and went to an alcove next to the fireplace, retrieving a small box.

"In this box is a mirror, passed down for centuries to those women of our family in the bloodline. I have watched and listened to Severus since he was a young child via this mirror, and have had some small hand in keeping him safe through my magic."

Severus looked on her with wonder, and some discomfort.

"Worry not, dear Brother: I have seen the wonderful things you have done far outweigh the damage... but this item is not limited to seeing the present. I have been able to see some spots of the future, which is how I knew to find you at the Mayor's side in time for you to come talk to me, and gather your family in time to escape the Fey."

She went to sit next to Hermione.

"I have also had the time to research your origins, Sister. It seems we were already cousins when you married my brother."

"Wha - what?" sputtered Hermione.

Severus looked grave as he explained: "Hermione, in order for our child to be this 'One', you would have to have Fey blood as well."

"And you do," Sonorous said. "You're a 12th-generation descendant of a human-Fey bonding."

Hermione's head swam as she said, "Which makes my child the 13th... and unbound by the lineage on my side?"

"Exactly. Severus, you have chosen your wife wisely: beautiful and smart."

"Yes, she is," he murmured, still caught up in the tragedy-in-the-making that was his life. _Will I never escape? Will my sins continue to plague me, affecting my family no matter what I do?_

"Severus," Hermione said softly, going to him and placing her hand on his forearm. "Do _not_ blame yourself for this! How could you possibly know this would happen?"

She took his shoulders to turn him to her, and gazed into his eyes.

"You know as well as I that this could easily be my fault as well... all I did in trying to free the House Elves at Hogwarts during my school days..." She trailed off as his eyes shown with a bit of mirth.

"Yes, SPEW, wasn't it? I think this is just them getting back at you for all those awful knitted caps."

They laughed softly, and clung to each other as they pondered the near future and the uncertain safety of their daughter.


	17. Chapter 17

Sonorous let the couple in front of her gather strength from each other for a few moments before gently clearing her throat.

"It's been a hectic day, and I think it wise to get some rest now: we have much preparation to do in the coming months."

"Yes, we should get some rest." Severus let his wife go, and walked over to pick up the sleeping child.

"I have a room prepared for you, with a place for your Caretaker to sleep. It is imperative that you never let Amey out of her sight, as she has abilities to combat your stalkers that even the three of us together cannot manage."

Hermione took Sonorous into a great hug.

"Thank you so much... I don't know what we would do without you."

"Do not thank me yet, Sister. There are dark times ahead."

Over the course of the next several months, Hermione and Severus got a crash course in what it meant to be 'of the bloodline'. They learned that their daughter would have similar talents to them, but with added senses, abilities, and strength two to three times that of even her powerful parents.

Caretakers were normally needed for those in the bloodline, even if there were others full in the power of the bloodline caring for them, because their baby-magic could outclass even a group of adults at their full power... and that magic would usually hold sway until their seventh year.

They stayed ensconced in Sonorous' home the entire time, not wanting to let the Fey have any chance to gain access to them. According to the Heathers (the bloodline's secret name for themselves) in the area, the Fair Folk and their minions were quiet again, having lost the scent of what they had thought was The One. They were now back to their regular hounding of random Heathers who were found without a Caretaker at their side - which did not happen often.

Hermione and Severus has been doing research, in between being taught about the possible effects of having these Feyblood talents by Sonorous: they found that there were certain castles in England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland that had protection from the uninvited entrance of the Fair Folk.

"SEVERUS!"

"SEVERUS!"

Severus ran through the labyrinthine halls, searching for his yelling wife.

When they ran into each other at a corner of the hallway near their room, they fell in a tangle of limbs worthy of Escher.

"WOMAN, what are you doing screaming as though you were being attacked by hippogryphs!" Severus demanded as he and Hermione untangled themselves and stood.

"HOGWARTS! WHY didn't we stay at Hogwarts! See - look here," she nearly pounced on him, waving an old tome in his face.

"Hold still," he said, taking the book from her shaking, waving hands.

His face blanched as he read, and the smirk that he shared with his wife was a sight to behold.

"We're going home."


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Take it as given - lots of people you thought were dead, aren't._

Hogwarts had seen many a homecoming in it's long centuries of existence, but this was one of the most merry.

The Potters, the Lupins, the Longbottoms, the entire Weasly clan (even Percy and his pinch-faced wife), and many others were there to welcome the small family back home.

Since it was summer again, the school was devoid of students - which was a good thing: they needed the room! The Snapes asked to have all their friends and family close so they could tell them all that they had learned, and to ask for their help.

"What we have here is another case of injustice, spanning centuries."

Severus and Hermione stood in front of their audience, with Amey in a playpen near them being watched over carefully by Clover. With Severus' dulcet tones ringing through the Great Hall, emphasis on the similarities to Voldemort's thwarted reign were hitting home with all who were gathered.

Headmistress McGonnagal had asked that all House Elves in residence were to attend, and they clustered in a group near the back of the Hall, occasionally trying to give food to the humans.

"My friends," Hermione said as she walked to the group of small elves, "Please, cease your servitude!"

Her plea was met with fearful glances and one bold elf stepped forward.

"Missus, you is the one that wants to gives us clothes! We not accept clothes!"

Hermione stifled a sigh, and said "Just... please, just listen, for a short period of time. I promise, no one here will give you clothes of any kind! This is - well, a history lesson, of sorts. It has to do with your history, and maybe your future."

"And no one, regardless of the outcome, will ever be asked to leave here!" supplied Minerva, looking at the host of elves with compassion and sincerity.

The 'head' House Elf looked around at his companions, and seeing their nods, responded: "You has our attention, Missus."

Hermione rejoined her husband, and they explained the history of the Fair Folk, their mistreatment of their kin and subsequent banishment to the world of the humans, the Vow and Prophesy that were now nearing their time, the effects of the interactions that lead to Sonorous' eyes and talents, and Amey's destiny.

"We cannot expect the House Elves nor their Caretaker counterparts to join in this fight for their freedom: in fact, they cannot be a part of it, due to the curses that will fall on them if they lift a finger against the Court of the Tuatha Dé Danan."

"What kinds of curses?" asked Harry, holding his hand up to where his scar had been for so many years.

"Usually, any resistance is met with a curse of infertility or immediate old age, never assuaged by death."

"Oi! No wonder Kreatcher was such a grumpy old git!" shouted Ron, and though there were some giggles at his comment, they grew somber quickly.

"Yes, it is no laughing matter," came the voice of Severus' sister as she stood.

"They have little to live for at this point besides bonded servitude, which is part of the punishment our ancestors were forced to levy against them."

She turned to the gathered House Elves.

"My deep apologies for the actions of our forefathers: I ask that you gift us with permission to right this wrong that we were unwillingly a part of."

The House Elves had been listening to the 'history lesson' with wide eyes and open ears for the better part of three hours now, and had begun to exchange worried and angry glances at each other.

The 'head' elf stood, and with a confirming glance to his kin, began to speak as none of the humans had ever heard a House Elf speak:

"Know this, you gentle humans: we of the clan Maithe Seelie, descended from banished Pookas one and all, do hereby accept your offer to undo this egregious wrong, and bond ourselves to you of our own free will as friends. We pledge to assist you in any way we can, to protect the Awaited One without reservation, and accept into our number as sister the one called Clover, along with our other kin overseas as long-separated cousins."

With that all the humans and elves in the Hall began whooping and jumping about for joy, and the orphaned Clover, though she had found a human family to serve, let tears of joy leak from her large eyes.

The group of House Elves and humans, which dubbed itself the Heather Army, worked on the problem of the Fey during the days, and gathered together in celebration in the nights. The House Elves refused to let even Molly into the kitchens to help, and still did all the chores and other services they did when the castle was full of students, despite the urgings of the temporary residents.

Sonorous was welcomed into the patchwork 'family' with open arms, her similarity to Severus commented on with attention given to how beautiful she was, and how gentle her mien.

Sirius Black was irrevocably smitten. A few evenings in her company was all it took for him to ask her to be his wife, and though everyone was shocked at the proposal, they were even more shocked at her reply:

"Sirius, the moment I saw you, I knew my long wait was over: I have dreamt of you since I was a maid. Though you and my brother were not on good terms as youths, I hope," here, she turned to Severus, who's scowl was being hampered by his wife's tears of joy, "that you will treat each other with respect henceforth."

Severus eyed the animagus with suspicion, but with the reassurance of his sister's talents to see beyond what normal eyes could see, and his wife's pleading eyes, his resolve to hold his grudge dissolved.

"As you wish, dear Sister... but Black, if you so much as make her shed a single tear, I shall hex you into oblivion."

"Gladly accepted, Snape," replied Sirius, taking Severus' proffered hand. They shook, then Sirius returned to his kneeling position in front of the raven-haired beauty.

"Well? Will you make me the happiest man alive?"

With a sanguine smile, Sonorous replied: "Yes, I will be your wife."

The celebration exploded, and Minerva performed the handfasting ceremony for the happy couple in the Great Hall, where they were surrounded by all their family and friends, human and elven.


	19. Chapter 19

An unusual thing had begun to happen within the walls of the castle soon after the first night of the return of the Snapes.

Minerva had asked to see Severus and Hermione a few weeks into their renewed stay.

"Hermoine, Severus - please, sit."

They sat in the tartan-covered chairs that framed the Headmistress' desk. The portrait of Dumbledor still snored peacefully above her head.

"Have either of you noticed anything... peculiar about the House Elves since you came back?" she asked them.

"Come to think of it, " responded Hermione, "it does seem as though there are more of them seen about..."

Severus nodded in agreement, as did Minerva.

"Yes, well, you see... that's because there _are_ more of them - in fact, more than triple the number of elves reside here now than when you first arrived."

"Triple! Where did they all come from?" asked Hermione.

"Well, it seems that when their history was made known to us, and they accepted us as friends instead of masters, they spread the word that their freedom was nearing."

Severus chuckled a bit at that.

"I assume there have been queries from the Pureblood families?"

"Oh, yes," Minerva replied with a chuckle of her own. "In fact, the Ministry is beginning to look into the 'mass disappearances'".

"Well, we'll just have to continue to provide them with a place to come," stated Hermione with determination. "After seeing how Malfoy treated Dobby, I can't conceive of turning any of them away."

"Neither can I - I just don't know how we'll provide for them all without tipping off the Ministry."

"Oh, you shan't have to worry about that, Minerva," said Severus. "They are industrious beings, with much motivation. All we need to do is ask Professor Sprout to make space for a new greenhouse: they will grow what extra they need to remain out of suspicion, I daresay."

"That's a sound idea, Severus; I will ask their 'head' elf, whomever that may be this week - they take turns, you know, so none will be in power for too long - where they would like their growing space to be. Thank you."

With a smile, Severus stood, returning to their rooms, letting Hermione remain with the Headmistress to discuss next year's lesson plans over tea.


	20. Chapter 20

Hermione and Severus collapsed in their quarters, exhausted beyond belief.

Two more years of school had flown by, paced by the growth of their daughter and her talents, and the worry that grew with each passing day. _Would this be the day the Fair Folk found them out? Would they lay siege to the castle tomorrow?_

They had spent the last 24 months ensconced in the castle, sending out via friends or owl for anything they needed. They were kept from cabin fever by mere inches due to their friends' unfailing support, and the constant reminder that those creatures who served them food and did their laundry were still under the curse of servitude.

Speaking of House Elves, as their numbers grew, the more industrious the small creatures were shown to be.

Three new greenhouses now graced the grounds, hidden by Elf magic from the eyes of any Ministry suspicion. Wonderful food was still being served in the Great Hall, with the added effect of truly fresh greens, grains, and fruit, making everything taste even more wonderful than before.

The castle itself had benefited from the Elves' increased numbers: every nook and cranny was spotless, any crumbling masonry or ageing timber was now repaired, all the windows were spotless, and the tapestries, rugs, and paintings throughout the castle were cleaned to a fare-thee-well.

The Chamber of Secrets, and all other dangerous, dark, disused, or unusable places were now cleaner than they had been when new, any moldering refuse had been disposed of, and any harmful spells or enchantments had been removed by the dedicated Pookas.

"Ah," sigh Hermione, as her aching body sank into the mattress. "At long last, a castle devoid of students, and my husband all to myself."

"Yes, dear wife... truly a decadent feeling."

Severus yawned hugely, stretching to grasp the woman at his side in his arms.

"Mummy! Daddy!"

"Ungh!" They both groaned as Amethyste bounced onto their bed, jostling them apart.

"Look what I drewed with Clover!"

The young Snape waved a brightly colored picture at her parent's faces.

"Look, here's you, Mommy, and you, Daddy... and here's me, and 'Bastian, and Clover."

"That's lovely dear," Hermione managed before a shared shocked look with her husband had them both sitting bolt upright.

"Who's 'Bastian', Amey," asked Severus with a wary glance at the picture.

"That's the baby in Mommy's tummy, silly!" laughed the girl as she sprang from the bed and out of the room.

"It can't be..."

"It could be... Severus, I'm only 2 days late - that's normal variation... but... how could she know?"

"With our daughter? Anything is possible..."


	21. Chapter 21

"Well, what do you expect me to do, toss myself into a Fairy Circle and call out "Supper'?"

"No one would want to consume such a scrawny morsel as you!"

"Bat!"

"Mutt!"

The arguments were getting worse. Only two days after their surprise was revealed to them by their daughter, Severus and Hermione were bombarded by horrid nightmares, seemingly sent by the Fey.

They had called together the Heather Army, and had been in discussion for nine long hours now: emotions were riding high, as the stressed parents were beginning to snap at all and sundry.

"Children, calm yourselves!," Minerva shouted, glaring at her former students.

"I will say this one time only," she said sternly.

She glared at the men who had been in the middle of a heated argument. Hermione was sitting near Severus, trying to hold back tears, and a very pregnant Sonorous had been trying, ineffectually, to separate the two men. Harry and Ron had been taking bets with George, Fred, and Remus, while the rest of the group, and the Pookas, cowered at the excessive emotions of the two men or sat waiting patiently for the fight to be over.

"_We are a family_: we may disagree, but shouting at one another is not only hurtful, but counter to working together. Now, Sirius has explained why their searching has come up with nothing - the information simply does not seem to exist - and Severus; we understand why you cannot leave the castle: it is simply too dangerous to Amethyste for you to do so."

She looked at the calming men with a wan smile.

"We will get through this - all of us, together - and there will be rejoicing for all involved. Until then: work within your restrictions as far as you are able."

"Now - Hermione, you had something to add?" said the Headmistress with a twinkle in her eye.

_Egad, she looks just like Albus!_ thought Hermione.

She wiped her tears, and stood on shaking legs.

"We received some amazing news the other day - from our daughter, no less: we're pregnant!"

Shouts of congratulations range throughout the room, and the Snapes were enveloped by well wishes.

Sonorous struggled to speak above the din.

"You say Amey told you?"

"Yes - that, and the dreams," she shared a tired look with Severus, "are the reason we asked you to gather with us at this time."

"We feel that they have found us, though they cannot yet get to us, due to Amethyste's growing powers." Severus suddenly collapsed into his chair, and deep, quiet sobs wracked his body.

"Darling...?" Hermione rubbed his back, unsure of what to do. She had never seen him like this - had anyone? - and she was at a loss.

"Damn me!," Severus shouted, his face a study in pain. "I can't even protect my own wife and child! How can I possibly protect another?"

A hand reached for his shoulder, and Hermione looked up in surprise at her brother-in-law.

"Snape, old man, these past years have been trying for you - not least that you can't go out and spy like the sneaky Slytherin we all know and love." He grinned rakishly as small chuckles were heard throughout the Hall.

"But you've had to be strong for your wife and child - and now, a new one on the way! - with nothing to do but sit and wait for the evil to come to you. That's more than enough to break any man. Know... that your burden is shared."

"Even if you are a git."

"Watch your tongue, dog," growled Severus, but they knew his melancholy had been broken, and as he stood, he embraced his long-time rival in a rough hug.

"Thank you, Sirius," he said quietly, and with that, they turned once again to the discussion at hand:

How did they stop the Fair Folk from getting what they wanted?


	22. Chapter 22

_IMPORTANT A/N: See end of chapter._

In the depths of the Forbidden Forrest, small creatures were gathered around a aging bonfire.

"They _must_ succeed... they _must_!"

"But can they do so without our help?"

"Our kin can help them-"

"At the cost of all their happiness - in every way! We cannot let that happen!"

"But what can _we_ do?"

"There will come a time, when we will see the light to guide our way... One of us must join the Heather Army, and see what can be done to help the Awaited One."

With that, the group made up of various small Fey left the clearing, determined to help win the war against their oppressors.

_**A/N: I am so pleased - so gratified - by your reviews and favoritings of this story; believe me, I didn't think I'd get this big of a response.**_

_**I thank you from the bottom of my inkwell... but I must seek your forgiveness. Though I had full plans to continue this story, I have pointed my 'pen' in a different direction. I do not see that this story will ever be continued. Still, I do hope your enjoyment is not marred too deeply by this statement, and that you go on, yourself, to enjoy the stories here and even to contribute to the amazing library I have had the honor of adding to.**_

_**My best wishes to you all!**_

_**CC**_


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